The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-08-17
NEW YORK TENEMErNs.
Details OF n Reporters Tour with 4
Health Inspector.

There is quietly going forward in
New York during these torrid summer
days, says The Commercial advertiser,
a work OF the utmost Importance, not
only to those who are directly benefited
but to every inhabitant of Manhattan
island. 1t Is the work OF corps OF
fifty physicians, appointed by the board
of health to inspect tenement houses
BY them every tenement in the city is
being visited. To the wretched poor
huddlcd together in airless, dim rooms
in the most crowed parts of this city,
they carry comfort and relief. They
speak 20 them words of kindness, pre-
scribe for the sick, explain the rudi-
mentary hygienic principles, and fur-
nish wearied mothers and their baby
offspring with the means of enjoying
an ocean ride, or possibly several days
of rest and change at some seaside
sanitarum. Should the physicians find
any of the houses which they inspect
in such condition as to be detrime ntal
to the health Of its occupants, the case
is reported. and the landlord is at once
notified that the tenement must DO re-
paired or vacated. The labors of these
inspectors are not only charity, but a
safeguard against the breeding and
spreading OF contagious diseases, for
the origin of infectious maladies can
almost invariably be traced to the
squalid tenement-house districts.
No. Ill Mulberry street may be taken
rs q sample of the typical tenement.
house. 1t is really two houses, placed
one behind the other, and separated by
an open space or court. This court Is
paved with flags tones and is frequent
cd at all hours of the day by the ten
ants of both houses. Here the women
do their washing and gossip. Tubs and
lirty water lying in pools are its chief
characteristics. Above are stretched
miles of clothesline, forming network
which would do credit to metropolitan
telegraph company. These lines are
fasteuded to the ratings and bars OF
Nisty iron balconies, which serve as n
receptacle for every conceivable variety
Of household goods. Each tenement
front and rcar-contains five stories.
Each story furnishes accommodations
Tor four families. Each suite of apart
ments consists of three rooms. Two of
these rooms are dark and are not pro-
vided with any direct means of ventila-
ton. The third, which is used as
kitchen, dining-room, living-room and
often as bedroom besides, is usually
provided with two windows and on an
average twelve or fourteen feet square.
The small, dark, poorly-ventilated
suites are inhabited by families num-
oering from six up. Thus each tene-
ment is made to shelter some thirty or
'orty families, or more than two humid
-ed persons. The halls are dark and
iirty. The stairs are rickety and the
.ailings insecure.
The tenants. for the most part,
bronzed-faced Italians, lent a certain
picturesqueness to the scene In spite OF
The surroundings They stared at the
loctor at first, but when he explained
lis mission took no further notice of
him, except possibly two or three who
followed him from door to door. He
was treated with courtesy and respect.
Chairs were frequently pushed toward
lin. When a child was sick the moth
rr placed it In his hands without re-
uctance, and thanked him with her
,yes, if not with her lips, for his help.
AS would be surmised, the rooms
we're filthy and crowded. The space In
zach of the two dark apartments was
almost entirely occupied by one, two
IN "a,
which stood some five feet from the
loor, supported by wooden horses,
Iuch as are used by carpenters. The
stoves were rusty, and seemed in I'M
mediate danger of falling to pieces.
The furniture was broken. The odor
vas offensive. Babies. smiling, squall-
NO, healthy, sickly, dressed and un-
lressed, heavily-kilted women filled
Inc rooms But comparatively few
men were seen. For the most part tho
women asserted that they and their
,hildren were perfectly we'll.
On the second floor of the front part
If the house in room, fairly sitting
With heat, lay little girl. perhaps 10
iears old. Her face was paid and her
,yes listless. Although the child was
already under treatment, the mother
vas anxious for the doctor to examine
t. This the inspector did, looked at
he medicine which had been prescribed
md told the parents to continue its
50
The docic- found the house in such
filthy condition that he felt constrain-
ID to hunt up its ie,-n who he found
o be the proprietor of saloon opposite.
When the inspector told him thai the
enements must be cleaned at once, he
insisted that they were cleaned in May